The Osceola times., 1887-04-02
A CIRCUS NOVELTY.
Description OF the Amusing Entertain
nents Given at the New Circus In Paris.

d
ments Given at the New Circus In Paris.
The new circus is a most remsrka-
Bile novelty. 1t combines gymnastics
and aquatics. 1t exhibits both riding
and swimming, 1t is the home of the
norman as well as of the centaur. In
appearance the new circus is-like most
other eircuses. The spectator takes
his seat on one of the series of cil cling
benches which arise from the ring to
the other walls of the building. The
only popularity to attract immediate
attention is the huge cocoa mat which
covers the ring in place of the usual
tan bark. The programme is divided
into three parts, and of these the first
two are not unlike those in other cir
euses, There is a dog acrobat which
turns somersaults, and rolls barrel,
and stands on his fore-legs on a sword,
and shams dead. There is a clown who
exhibits performing pig, which is rid
den by monkey, and which jumps over
hurdles and through a paper hoop.
There is another clown, on whose par
tl-co lored dress you note the arms of
Great Britain and the United States.
A great many of the circus performers
one sees in Europe are Americans, and
the clowns always speak English.
There is a group. of performing ele-
phants. the youngest of which wears
clowns hat. There is an acrobat who
hangs by his heels. There are tiger
horses, exhibited by NJ. Loyal-mighty
Percheron horses, strangely spotted
and striped. There is the usual assort-
ment of riders, doing the pad act aud
the bareback act and the mancye act.
After all these have been seen, the
ring is cleared. The huge cocoa mat
is rolled into long cylinder, and
queer four-wheeled truck is drawn into
tn ring, astraddle of the rolled mat,
which is then strapped to the truck.
All hands then pull away the truck and
its load through the entrance door and
out of sight. Thus the bare boards OF
the ring are exposed TO view, and they
are seen to be pierced with numberlesi
holes. An enormous glass globe con.
tanning powerful electric light is nexi
placed in the center of the ring, which
is then cleared. and its low doors are
closed. The interested spectator
watching all these preparations, next
hears sound of machinery, and sees
the boards of the ring tremble little,
and then begin to descend. There is
sound of pouring water, and water
streams up through every hole in the
flooring. In less than minute the
fiat ring has been changed to a deer
tank, the water of which is lighted and
made transparent by the large electric
lamp, now descended to the bottom.
This sudden Transformation is effected
by ingenious machin ry. which pulls
down into the swimming tank the
framework of the flooring of the ring.
Within the water there is suddenly
to be seen swimming figure, and then
another and another and another be-
comes visible, until there are half
dozen who have most mysterionsly APP
peared. While the transformation is
taking place the swimmers are in the
water just outside of the ring and un.
der the audience. As soon as the flooi
Of the ring has sunk To the bottom OF
the tank, the swimmers, one after an.
other, d We under the cross braces and
reveal themselves in the tank. 1t was
Prof. johnson and his seven daughters
an English family-who gave the
aquatic entertainment on the evening
spent at the New Circus. A large
mattress was placed in the center Of
the tank. and spring-board at one
of the entrances. The gymnasts turn
ed somersaults from the spring-board
tried TO land on their feet on the mat
tress, whence they might walk ashore
dry-shod over the plank. Failing to
reach the mattress, they We're ducked
iu the pond. 1t is easy to imagine what
fun the clowns make out of their aquatic
misadventures and misfortunes. dr.
thur Penn, in Hdrper's Young People.